Dr Iain Kerr after being suspended by the General Medical Council in 2008 for prescribing lethal pills to suicidal patients is now free to work again unsupervised

This weekend sees a popular doctor return to work without restrictions. The GMC, a UK regulatory body for the medical professions, have finally removed their sanctions.

63-yr-old Dr Iain Kerr is a popular G.P. in the west of Scotland. Two years ago he openly stated that he had tried to ease the deaths of suicidal and very ill patients by prescribing them drugs with which to end their lives if they so wished. Yet his integrity has never been questioned and his patients remain loyal. Said one of them, Mr Graham Johnston, “I think it was a disgrace to start with that he was put through this process. I have found him nothing but professional. He looked after both my mother and father and he was a constant professional throughout.”

One former patient of Dr Kerr’s, an 87-yr-old osteoporosis sufferer who feared becoming a burden upon her family held Dr Kerr in high regard. He prescribed sodium amytal to her in 1988 – a powerful and tightly controlled barbiturate – with which she could end her life. He revealed his views on physician-assisted suicide during an appraisal in 2004 when he admitted prescribing patients with sodium amytal to help them kill themselves. Dr Kerr described the drugs as an “insurance policy” for those patients. “She said to me, ‘Give me something that I can take if things get too bad’, and I said yes.”

His frank confession resulted in an investigation by local health authorities and Strathclyde Police, who took no action against him after finding there was insufficient evidence. Dr Kerr told patients he had been a member of this Society (Exit had been known briefly as the Voluntary Euthanasia Society of Scotland). Kerr branded the law “an ass” during his hearing with the GMC. Of five patients he gave lethal medication to, four were women, aged 75, 76, 72 and 61, and one was 73-yr-old man. One of the women suffered from depression, another was terminally ill, another had heart problems and the man had a drink problem.

Last January Dr Kerr had been allowed to return to work, but only with several conditions.These included a ban on prescribing certain medicines and the imposition of a supervisor to regularly review his work. He has now had all the conditions lifted and can practice again unrestricted.

Death from barbiturate poisoning in England and Wales during the 60’s used to account
for 30 per cent of suicides and 65 per cent of all suicide deaths due to drugs. Concern about the number of accidental and deliberate overdoses from prescribed barbiturates led to a campaign by doctors in 1975 to warn people of their dangers. The campaigning group estimated 27,000 people had died using barbiturates between 1959 and 1974. Medical prescribing fell to 5.1 million prescriptions in 1978 and continued downwards in 1996. Doctors switched to prescribing minor tranquillisers instead.

Since then, barbiturates have become tightly controlled in the UK and people have turned to other methods of self-deliverance. Doctors can still prescribe them and patients take them, but unauthorised possession or supply is an offence. The maximum penalty is 5 years imprisonment and a fine for possession and 14 years imprisonment and a fine for supply. If prepared for injection, barbiturates are regarded as class A drugs with more severe penalties. They still account for a number of suicides in America and are the principal drug of choice in Dutch voluntary euthanasia or assisted suicide. A few people try to flout the law by journeying to Mexico in search of veterinary liquid barbiturates to end their life.

A number of worrying facts still emerge. Suicide among doctors often means use of effective drugs – due to their availability. This puts doctors in a privileged position in controlling their own time of death – one which the law still denies to their patients.

A second concern – especially in absence of the full facts – is whether any persons such as the patients of Dr Kerr ended their lives unnecessarily. Given the high regard in which he is held by all who know and knew him (patients and professionals), and the advanced years of the patients in question to whom he prescribed lethal drugs, any moral inappropriateness seems unlikely, even if he broke the law. But the very illegality of such doctor-assisted suicide makes transparency impossible.

A third worry is the conflict between the law and ethics. Not only his patients, but the GMC praises him. He told the GMC: “I think when dealing with someone holding a rational view of the circumstances in which they want to end their life, it was my duty to at least consider whether he or she had a reasonable opinion and that it was my duty to assist if I thought I agreed with that patient’s assessment.” The panel hearing his case last week told him, “You have always been a good and conscientious doctor.” In the absence of decisive action by politicians, the law frequently tries to fudge things when written law conflicts with moral duty. In England & Wales, we have seen how the Director of Public Prosecutions has said he will not prosecute some persons for assisted suicide even when there is enough evidence to secure a conviction. But a law that cannot be clearly implemented is a bad law. Judges, campaigners and the general public continue by an overwhelming majority to call on parliament for change. Parliament, however, does not feel overwhelmed.

The use of drugs for self-deliverance, barbiturates, drugs from Mexico, as well as safer and less troubling methods of ending one’s life in the face of unbearable and unrelievable suffering, are all dealt with in the forthcoming publication, Five Last Acts, 2nd edition. This book also includes a fairly comprehensive guide to the law in the UK on such matters.

Exit euthanasia blog analyses end of life issues, euthanasia, self-deliverance and assisted suicide. .........................................................
Exit does not give you a "quick answer": it gives you a responsible one, based on multidisciplinary study and embodying the latest research from around the world since 1980.
.........................................................
Please note the blog does *not* include detailed "how-to" information on methods of self-euthanasia or rational suicide. (see "About Exit" on the main menu.) But we publish the most extensive, scientifically supported and detailed information from any source you are likely to find.

If you have enjoyed reading this blog or found it helpful in any way, consider supporting us if you can please, with a small donation. There is no obligation, ever. You are free to enjoy the blog and receive all our email alerts if you wish, free.

Image links to our main site and then to Paypal secure online payment. Thank you!

photo credit: NMIH

THE SAMARITANS. If you are suicidally depressed, we urge you to visit The Samaritans for confidential, emotional, non-judgmental support. (Please click on the photo.)

Subscribe free for updates

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

“Five Last Acts, at over 400 pages, marks what may be the most comprehensive guide to self-deliverance techniques available.”

Use of helium, drugs, compression, plastic bags, starvation and other means, as well as other key resources including authoritative information on the legal position. It's comprehensive analysis and step-by-step explanation of methods of self-deliverance is far-reaching and probably unrivalled, both for the individual seeking peace of mind and for other researchers in the area.

Main link (Amazon U.S.):
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1453869379/

Also available from Amazon uk:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1453869379/

The complete reference, over 800 pages, The Exit Path, is also available. Please click the image below to order, or see the Publications page at the top menu.

For even more: Five Last Acts – The Exit Path (2015 edition)

● Five Last Acts: The Exit Path 2015. ● 822 pages. ● The world's first and most authoritative book to include self-euthanasia with nitrogen ● over 100 illustrations and ‘how-to‘ diagrams. ● Over 1000 references. ● tables & charts ● Tips and checklists ● scientific evidence. "This is quite a tome! But for a very detailed and clear examination of all the background to the technical intricacies of the movement for the right to choose to die it is in a class on its own. This book is for the science-minded DIY person. A most unusual book." – Derek Humphry

——————————

The first purpose of this blog is to update our members and supporters. We'll also post some news stories of interest. Anyone can join, read the posts, and send comments or questions on specific stories.

The most extensive volume on self-deliverance ever published, Five Last Acts: The Exit Path covers every method in encyclopedic detail, answering questions on different approaches for researchers and lay-persons alike. The Exit Path contains all the material from Five Last Acts II plus new and exclusive material.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FEATURED BLOGS:

Family Business Of The Year 2019 South West Shortlisted for Family Business Of The Year 2019!! What a wonderful way to kick-start the year although the news has meant that sticking to a dry January might be a bit tricky! I am absolutely thrilled that we are shortlisted for this prestigious award. It means so […] The post Family Business Of The Year 2019 – We […]

Memorial firework displays / Ashes into Fireworks Displays are a truly memorable way to give a loved one a proper send off. And not as expensive as you would think with prices starting under £1000 We get a lot of questions about where and how, so I thought it was wise to share the insight […] The post Choosing a suitable location for your Ashes into Firework […]

What is the law in France concerning cremation ashes and scattering ashes? France is a progressive secular state, however when it comes to death it seems to be rather conservative in its outlook. Whilst just over half of the population (51%) assert being Christian (with Roman Catholicism being by far and away the most practised […] The post Scattering and Cr […]

Funerals Your Way: A Person Centred Approach to Planning a Funeral by Sarah Jones Sarah Jones from Full Circle Funerals asked me to have a look at her new book on how to plan a funeral, the first thing to say is I am a fan of Sarah and her company, and I don’t think […] The post Funerals Your Way by Sarah Jones appeared first on Scattering Ashes.

Scattering Ashes on the River Severn in Stourport near Birmingham Location Stourport-On-Severn, Worcestershire Area of operation The River Severn in Stourport, West Midlands Convenient for Birmingham. Kidderminster, Worcester, Stourport, Leominster, Bridgnorth and Wolverhampton Type of boat Passenger Vessel Duration of trip 40 Mins Capacity of boat Max 120 P […]

I know precious little about video games, I see my children play them with bewildering speed and dexterity. Occasionally they offer me the controls and encourage me to play, I then spend a short while embarrassing myself before returning them and then being ridiculed. However, I was interested to learn that one of the biggest […] The post God of War: multi m […]

Admin

Who are EXIT?

Exit was formed in 1980 with the specific purpose of researching and making available reliable information on how to end one's life if faced with unbearable and unrelievable suffering. There are many excellent groups that use the name Exit worldwide - and although imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, we would point out that they are not connected to us. We believe the best information you can obtain on self-deliverance is from our books, newsletters and workshops - you will not find those produced by other groups to be the same.
Free downloads
Download a living will poster, or other materials to print and display using the box below.

When it all comes to an end

(free pdf)
Whether a person is interested in the reassurances that Exit's literature can offer or not, each of us has to face the moment of death one day. "When it all comes to an end" examines what we can do to face the last moments with equanimity, whatever our situation. It is for your personal use and may not be published elsewhere or modified without permission.

Cut-&-paste the following link into your browser:
https://exiteuthanasia.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/when-it-all-comes-to-an-end.pdf

Alternatively scroll down and select the appropriate widget to the left of this panel.